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Charles praises courage amid carnage of Somme

PRINCE CHARLES yesterday decried the “unimaginable” slaughter and “unutterable hell” of the battle of the Somme as he led a commemoration in France of the bloodiest engagement of the first world war.

The 90th anniversary of the start of one of the British army’s greatest debacles gathered several thousand people, some in period costume, at the foot of a giant memorial for poetry readings, performances by military bands and a service of remembrance.

“The magnitude of the allied losses on July 1, 1916 are unimaginable in these days of instant communication,” said the prince, referring to 20,000 British dead and 40,000 wounded in a single day of fighting.

“We put mere boys into an assault against the bomb, bullets and the terrible wire entanglements, equipped with little more than raw courage and a deep trust in their young leaders.”